Hundreds of Horry County middle and high school students will present 260 history projects at a countywide regional competition on Thursday, March 10, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Coastal Carolina University. The public is invited to attend the events in the Williams-Brice Physical Education Center and the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts Building.

The student history projects include exhibits, dramas, websites, multimedia presentations, documentaries and papers. More than 400 Horry County students will compete in 18 categories, and up to three projects in each category will be chosen for the statewide competition in April. Winners of the statewide contest will take their presentations to the National History Day contest at the University of Maryland-College Park in June.

In Horry County, eighth-grade honors students are required to participate in the contest. This is the second year Horry County has been a participating region.

CCU's Department of History is the new sponsor for South Carolina History Day, a statewide organization that coordinates a yearlong education program that culminates in regional, statewide and national competitions.

Statewide competitions are led by Mary Katherine Marshall of CCU's Department of History and the South Carolina History Day coordinator. When the history department became the sponsor for South Carolina History Day, Marshall became an employee of the department, but she works out of Columbia due to its central location in the state. She travels around the state year-round to help lead the program in participating counties.

"It's a town-and-gown connection that gives back to the community," said Amanda Brian, chair of CCU's Department of History, who has judged previous South Carolina History Day contests. About 6,000 students statewide are participating in the South Carolina History Day program.

National History Day began in 1974 when David Van Tassel, a history professor at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, wanted to help local elementary and high school students engage with history. He developed a contest called History Day. The program spread throughout Ohio and nearby states. In 1980, it became a national organization and today includes most of the United States as well as U.S. territories and other countries. Worldwide, more than 600,000 students participate in National History Day.

For more information, contact Mary Katherine Marshall, South Carolina History Day coordinator, 803-764-5007, scstatehistoryday@gmail.com.